Dramatic
Change in Power ProductionA
Major Storyline Again in 2013
Just
as a radical change in home-run output in a number of leagues was the
overriding storyline of the 2012 summer college season, a similar
script has been written again this summer.
A
year ago, it was an unprecedented spike in home runs when numerous
league, team and individual records fell as the volume of long balls
increased exponentially from 2011; this year, it’s been a
significant reversal, to levels below what was considered the norm
prior to 2012 in many cases.
In
the Cape Cod League, the granddaddy of all summer circuits, 165 long
balls were hit this summer in 220 games. That compares to the
aberration of 2012, when hitters went deep 384 times in the same
number of games, and was more in line with 2011, when 159 home runs
were struck.
The
Harwich Mariners alone hit 64 homers a year ago, establishing a
league record for a season that even topped anything from the Cape’s
offensive-oriented, aluminum-bat era that ranged roughly from the
mid-70s to mid-80s. This summer, the Mariners combined to hit just 11
homers. But that decrease doesn’t compare to the power outage
experienced by the Wareham Gatemen, who homered 51 times (plus 15
more in seven playoff games) on their way to a 2012 Cape League
championship, and slugged just six this summer for an encore—the
same total the team achieved in 2011—while finishing with the
league’s worst record.
Appropriately,
the individual Cape League leader in homers this season, Falmouth
first baseman Casey Gillaspie (Wichita State), went deep just eight
times—half the total amassed a year ago by Wareham’s Tyler Horan,
whose 16 homers were a record in the league’s wood-bat era.
A
sampling of other established summer leagues saw a similar pattern.
A
total of 215 home runs were hit in the New England Collegiate League
this summer, compared to 451 in 2012 (when there were three less
teams), and 291 in 2011. Two players shared the individual lead, with
seven, which was a drop in the bucket compared to the record 19
slugged a year ago by Laconia’s Danny Collins (Troy).
The
Florida Collegiate League went on a roller-coaster ride from 57
homers overall in 2011 to 158 in 2012, and back down to 56 this
summer. The New York Collegiate League followed the same trend,
moving from 117 homers in 2011, to 315 a year ago, and down to 153
this year.
Oddly,
Sanford shortstop Tyler Palmer (Seminole State, Fla., JC) had a
league-best nine homers this summer in the Florida League, which
topped the total of the leader a year ago, while Wellsville first
baseman Scott DeJong (Felician, N.J.) established a new NYCBL
standard with 14—five more than the league-leading total in 2012.
No
leagues may have seen a decrease in homers from a year ago quite as
dramatic, though, as the Great Lakes and Valley Leagues.
In
the Ohio-based Great Lakes circuit, 276 homers were hit in 2012, and
just 58 this summer. The latter total even pales when compared to
2011, when 99 homers were struck. The Valley saw a dip in homers this
summer from 469 to 148, with the Winchester Royals alone dropping
from a league-record 84 in 2012 to just eight this season. In 2011,
Valley League teams combined for 287 homers, with Winchester also
setting the pace then with 38 long balls.
Typically,
league-wide batting averages have not seen the same precipitous
one-year decline, with the Cape Cod League hitting .255 overall this
summer vs. .260 a year ago. But the overall decline in offense, as
measured by batting average, was quite pronounced in the Great Lakes
League, which went from a league-wide batting average of .277 in 2012
to just .242 this summer. The Valley League fell from .278 in 2012 to
.250 this summer, while the collective league ERA of that league
nosedived from 5.08 a year ago to 3.59.
A
common theme with all these leagues is their use of the Diamond
Baseball, which had a well-documented quality-control issue in 2012.
Just as balls of that brand had a harder core than normal that led to
balls flying out of parks at a record pace a year ago, a
more-regulated Diamond ball in use this summer brought the level of
offense back in line to more-accustomed levels.
All
of the summer leagues in question are affiliated with the National
Alliance of Summer College Baseball, an organization that is
contractually committed to the use of Diamond Baseballs.
Most
other leagues that use different makes of baseballs saw little of the
same fluctuation in offense from 2012 to 2013. The Coastal Plain
League and Northwoods Leagues, for instance, use a Rawlings baseball,
and both saw a modest decrease in home-run production this summer.
The CPL went from 263 homers in 2012 to 244, while the Northwoods
dipped from 737 to 689.

Saluting
the Top Summer-League Performers
As
has been our custom at the conclusion of each summer-league season,
Perfect Game will undertake an up-close look at the top prospects in
some 25 leagues around the country in the coming days and weeks.
We’ll roll out our first leagues on Wednesday.
The
players we’ll highlight will be evaluated on the basis of their
upside potential, or their projected worth as professional-level
prospects. Our focus will be on those position players with the best
combination of raw tools and pitchers with the best raw stuff.
With
the level of offense in summer baseball—especially home
runs—fluctuating wildly in a number of leagues over the last three
seasons, talent evaluators have been challenged accordingly in
gauging the true degree and depth of talent, but we’ll do our best,
through our own personal observation, along with contact with scouts
and league managers, to highlight the top prospects in each league.
But
before we start highlighting players based on their potential, we’ll
first focus on many of the same players based primarily on how they
actually performed this summer. It’s Perfect Game’s version of a
Summer League All-America Team.
We’ve
highlighted those players that simply played the best this summer in
summer competition, with only passing consideration given to their
projected future worth. In other words, our focus here is mainly on
those players who compiled the best stats, although we’ve given
priority to those players who assembled them in the most-competitive
summer leagues.
We’ve
selected a three-tier All-America team, and appropriately the Cape
Cod League has the most selections (9), though is followed closely by
the Northwoods (6), Coastal Plain (5) and California Collegiate (5)
Leagues.
Led
by our summer player of the year Max Pentecost (Bourne/Cape Cod), here’s our take on
the top performers of the 2013 summer season (player’s college,
draft year noted in parentheses):

SECOND
BASEMEN
1.
JOHN LaPRISE, Madison/Northwoods (Virginia/2015)Played
sparingly as a college freshman, but won NWL batting title
(.407-0-29), went 12-for-24 in playoffs for league champs
2.
ROSS KIVETT, Orleans/Cape Cod (Kansas State/2013)White
Sox 10th-rounder in June; was summer AA in 2012
(.401-3-29, 37 SB), hit .336-3-17 in encore; sparkplug in all phases
3.
JOSH GARDINER, Amsterdam/Perfect Game (Radford/2014)Played
key role for Mohawks as team came on strong to win second straight
PGCBL title; hit .327-4-33 with 15 2B, 15 SB

THIRD
BASEMEN
1.
ALEX CALBICK, Bellingham/West Coast (Maine/2013)Rebounded
from disappointing college season (.280, 2 HR) to win WCL batting
title (.384), earn player-of-year honors
2.
TYLER MAUTNER, Top Speed Baseball/Far West (Buffalo/2014)Triple-crown
winner (.389-8-33) and player of year in Far West League; hit
.390-13-57 overall, also smacked 26 doubles
3.
JORDAN NEGRINI, Peninsula/Coastal Plain (Old Domimnion/2013)Overlooked
in 2013 draft, but found comfort zone at plate with wood on summer;
hit .345-3-40 overall, led team to CPL title

SHORTSTOPS
1.
TYLER PALMER, Sanford/Florida Collegiate (Seminole State, Fla.,
CC/2013)Still
on mend from serious 2011 hand injury, but led Florida loop in HRs
(9), RBIs (32), steals (24), second in batting (.350)
2.
A.J. SIMCOX, Mat-Su/Alaska (Tennessee/2015)League
bat champ (.356-1-20); has all tools to be 2015 first-rounder, just
needs power to develop, become consistent in field
3.
KEVIN NEWMAN, Falmouth/Cape Cod (Arizona/2015)Surprise
Cape League batting champ; hit .375, only 3 extra-base hits, just
needs to grow into frame; makes all plays in field

DESIGNATED
HITTER
1.
KEVIN CRON, Falmouth/Cape Cod (Texas Christian/2014)Ex-third-rounder
has huge power in 6-5/260 frame; with better pitch selection,
rebounded from poor spring to hit .350-4-32
2.
ROB FONSECA, Los Angeles Brewers/California Collegiate
(Northeastern/2014)Finished
second in Cal League in all triple-crown categories (.383-8-35); led
Brewers to surprise league title
3.
IAN RICE, Baltimore Redbirds/Cal Ripken (Chipola, Fla., JC/2013)Still
growing into his role as a catcher, but has explosive power at plate,
hit .317, led Ripken League in HRs (7), RBIs (34)